Wasteland Border Inspector

Chapter 207 A Moment of Peace, An Incomprehensible Genius!

Wisps of dark clouds drifted by, obscuring most of the already thin moonlight, leaving only a dim and gloomy atmosphere between heaven and earth.

"quack--"

The flock of thornbirds that arrived under cover of night fully revealed the cunning of the mutated creatures.

Upon realizing that the humans who had invaded his territory possessed long-range attack capabilities, the new Spiky Bird King, who had inherited the position of the unfortunate previous leader, did not launch a rash attack at nightfall. Instead, he patiently waited until the night was completely dark before leading hundreds of Spiky Birds on the wind.

It circled over the town of Dabo, its gaze sweeping over the red and blue zones, but ultimately gave up on harassing the red zone.

Firstly, the previous leader died in the red zone, so the threat here is clearly greater than on the other side.

Secondly, there was no suitable place to set up activity units in the red zone. On the first day, everyone's energy was spent on reclaiming the surrounding land and preparing the foundation. In the evening, everyone still squeezed into the granary to rest.

Although the granary was cramped, its thick bluestone walls were incredibly hard, and the thorns of the thornbirds couldn't pierce them at all.

In comparison, the parking lot behind the Blue Zone supermarket, with its three newly erected activity units, looked particularly "fragile" and became the primary target of the thornbird flock.

"Get into the building quickly! Everyone, don't linger, get into your rooms and hide!"

"Find your beds according to the assignments given this evening, and don't rush or push!"

Lin Xiaoshan stood in the crowd and shouted, but the camp had only been established for a day, how could strict order be formed immediately?
The crowd could only move into the activity area in a barely orderly manner; they were far from being able to follow orders and maintain discipline.

Fortunately, the flock of thornbirds did not launch an attack immediately. Instead, they circled over the town of Dabo, searching for the most suitable point of attack while seemingly still looking for the "delicious snacks" from earlier in the day.

It wasn't until the last resident entered the activity unit, and several more minutes later, that a sharp "crackling" sound came from above.

The thornbirds are finally about to make their move.

"Don't panic, everyone! The precast concrete slab above us is thick enough, and there are two layers of vines on top as a buffer. It will definitely stop the bone spikes. I guarantee it!"

Sun Dazheng stood up and walked back and forth in the activity area, calling out to reassure people.

For the wastelanders living in Stone Province, the thornbird plague is not uncommon.

This creature is relatively docile in spring and summer, but its aggression increases several times over during the autumn nesting season. It will frantically drive away other creatures in the surrounding area of ​​its territory until winter arrives.

But there are exceptions, such as these families who came from the mines.

Spiky birds feed on minerals, so White Stone Sanctuary City naturally wouldn't let them steal resources. Within a radius of tens or hundreds of kilometers, as long as a Spiky Bird's nest is discovered, it will be completely destroyed by the patrol team the next day.

The White Rock Sanctuary even raises a large bird called the birch, a natural predator of the thornbird, specifically to drive away the thornbirds in the surrounding area.

Because they hadn't experienced the threat of thornbirds much before, the panic among the mining families was palpable.

Sun Dazheng was well aware of this and promptly took on the responsibility of appeasing the people.

And what he said was indeed correct.

After circling twice in the air, the spiked bird finally launched its first probing attack with its bone spikes.

A crackling sound suddenly rang out overhead, like a hailstorm, but not a single bone spike could penetrate the buffer of the vines and leave a mark on the precast slab.

Only a few bone spikes that flew at an angle hit the side wall of the unit, making a dull "thump" sound, and ultimately only left a few shallow dents, which were not much of a threat.

Upon seeing this, the crowd in the building instantly calmed down.

Not long after, several gunshots suddenly rang out outside. Although they did not directly drive away the flock of thornbirds, they successfully drew all their attention.

The flock of thornbirds circling above the parking lot quickly dispersed, their "cawing" calls fading into the distance as they flew toward the side of the town.

In an instant, the tense atmosphere inside the unit completely relaxed.

The solemn faces finally showed signs of fatigue, a weariness from the day's work mixed with a sense of relief at surviving a disaster.

Surviving in the wasteland is not easy.

Venturing out to reclaim wasteland is even more difficult.

Small settlements built in the wild often rely on special geographical advantages to survive.

For example, the Tumo settlement where Sun Dazheng previously lived was built on two small earthen hills.

There are passages left over from the old era inside the mountain, which can serve as temporary shelters and storage for supplies. With a wall built around the earthen mountain, life is relatively peaceful.

But to directly venture into an old-fashioned town to reclaim wasteland, without any strategic advantage to defend it, is a first for everyone.

As the saying goes, ignorance is bliss.

The inspection station actually conducted rigorous screening and evaluation of personnel.

If we select refugees with strong survival skills and willpower, this group will certainly be more resilient, but there is an unavoidable problem: their will to resist will not increase as their abilities become stronger, but may even weaken.

If danger arises and the prosecutors handle the situation improperly, this group could very well break up and run away on the spot.

After all, refugees don't have much of a psychological burden. For them, starting over in Happiness City is no different from starting over elsewhere; survival is the most important thing.

This is a very real problem.

Ability and loyalty may coexist in the same person, but it is rare for them to coexist in a group of refugees.

Unless the checkpoint offers substantial rewards, which would completely deviate from the original purpose of this assessment.

Therefore, after careful consideration, the checkpoint ultimately chose this group of people who would trust the prosecutors in crucial moments.

Even if most of them are young and fearless, even if their survival skills are not top-notch, and even if their mental will is not as good as the scavengers in the buffer zone, as long as the inspector is strong enough to unite everyone, this group of people can immediately become a force.

A construction team capable of supporting the development of satellite cities!

"My goodness, that scared me to death! I've lived in the mines for over a decade and have never seen such a ferocious bird!"

"You bet it is! It's really fierce! Look at those bone spurs, one of them is almost as long as my palm. If one of them really hits you, it'll leave a huge hole in your body, won't it?"

"Thank goodness I didn't slack off during the day and managed to set up this activity area, otherwise I would definitely be suffering tonight!"

"Yes, this unit is a bit small, but it's much more comfortable than the tent we stayed in before. It was hard underneath, and it felt so relaxing to lie down!"

hushed whispers filled the apartment.

Although it wasn't their first time camping in the wilderness, the thought that this might be where they would live long-term filled everyone with mixed feelings, a feeling they couldn't quite describe.

Suddenly, a voice interrupted: "Hey, when the Thorn Bird came, why didn't Prosecutor Cheng just shoot the leader down with one shot?"

The speakers were a young couple.

As soon as he said that, everyone's eyes turned to him, and many of them looked at him as if he were an idiot.

Finally, Sun Dazheng couldn't stand it anymore and whispered a reminder: "Prosecutor Cheng is a good shot, but he's not an owl. How can he tell which one is the leader in the dark?"

"Huh?" The young couple were taken aback for a moment, then quickly scratched their heads and apologized, "Sorry, sorry, we misspoke. We came from the neighboring province of Guangdong, and we've never seen a spiked bird that can shoot bone spikes before. This is the first time we've ever seen one."

Upon learning that the two were from Guangdong Province and had never been in contact with thornbirds before, everyone withdrew their gazes.

However, influenced by the couple, the conversation inevitably shifted from expressing their exhaustion and complaining about the danger to discussing the prosecutor, Cheng, who had brought them there.

"Prosecutor Cheng is really amazing! I looked around yesterday and he was the youngest one. I was secretly worried about him."

"What are you worried about? Are you worried about his lack of experience?"

"It's not that, it's just that I'm not confident."

"Hey, let alone Prosecutor Cheng, even Prosecutor Wang has way more experience than any of us!"

"Exactly! Happiness City is the most powerful super sheltered city in Shi Province! Even the inspectors in our White Stone Sheltered City have to study for twelve years and pass the exams before they can take office. The standards in Happiness City must be even stricter. I can't even imagine how tiring it must be to study for twelve years every day!"

"Hey, Prosecutor Cheng said before that he wanted to build a school in our Dabo Town so that children could go to school. I wonder if that's true or not?"

"Mom, I'm scared, I don't want to go to school."

Amid the murmurs of the crowd, a timid child's voice suddenly broke through.

This remark amused everyone, and they exchanged glances, unable to help but laugh.

"Silly boy! If you don't go to school, you'll only be a low-level worker for life! Even the foremen in our mine have to study for three years before they can work, and those skilled workers who refine ore have to spend two months of training every year! If you want to have a good life, how can you not go to school?"

"Exactly! I've heard that the industrial zone in Happiness City only hires educated people. Someone like me, a roughneck who can't even read properly, probably wouldn't even pass the first round of screening."

"Speaking of which, didn't Prosecutor Cheng say he wanted to set up an adult skills training school? It would specifically teach us adults, and if we passed the exam, they would even guarantee us jobs!"

"That's what he said, but he didn't specify what kind of work it would be. I'm worried too. There are no mines to dig in the area, and I don't know how to do other jobs."

"."

The moment the topic of yearning for a better life came up, everyone was wide awake.

Inside the enclosed activity area, people chatted amongst themselves, and the oppressive feeling from the earlier attack by the thornbirds and the threat of the infected quickly dissipated. Some even started joking, and bursts of lighthearted laughter could be heard from time to time.

PARKING LOT.

When Wang Kang returned from his patrol, he saw Cheng Ye leaning against the side wall behind the supermarket.

It felt like listening to the sounds of conversation and laughter from inside the building, yet also like enjoying this moment of peace.

"Brother Cheng, why don't you go inside and rest?"

"I'm not going in. We've worked so hard to create a peaceful atmosphere, and if I go in, everyone will start to get nervous again." Cheng Ye waved his hand; at this point, he was actually a little sleepy himself.

After a whole day of physical labor, I was also plagued by paranoia and broke out in a cold sweat, and then spent half a day struggling with corpses and infected individuals.

Even though Zeye's physical strength provided a strong boost, allowing him to go three days without sleep without any problem, his mental fatigue was no less.

Moreover, after activating "Hundred Martial Arts" three times in a row that day, Cheng Ye finally figured out what kind of special energy this perfect-level talent consumed.

energy!

Unlike the Iron Body, which only stimulates fixed neural networks, the Hundred Warriors consumes invisible and intangible spiritual energy, which is consumed by about 10% each time it is activated.

If you can ensure sleep recovery every day, three sessions will only require 30% of your energy, so it won't matter in the buffer zone.

But now that he's out of the wilderness and hasn't had enough time to rest, the depletion of his energy has become a serious problem.

If you stay up all night, not to mention whether the effect of activating "Hundred Martial Arts" again will be reduced, if you only have half of your energy left, your vigilance and combat power will also decrease.

There are still two and a half days of assessment period left. It's easy to get through tonight, but what about tomorrow night and the night after?
What if we really have to go underwater to investigate?
So at times like this, it's not that he's being lazy and not going out to lead the team on duty, but rather that he's racing against time to recover his energy, which is also a guarantee for the upcoming assessment.

"You should go inside and get some sleep. This is a long battle, it won't end just after tonight."

"Hmm," Wang Kang hesitated for a moment, then nodded frankly, "Then, Brother Cheng, I'll go rest first. If you want to switch shifts for patrol, just come and call me."

"Mmm." Cheng Ye nodded gently.

He was exhausted. Wang Kang, who hadn't developed a martial arts body and was relying solely on physical strength to get through it, was clearly using his willpower to overcome his fatigue.

As Wang Kang, clad in his armor, entered Unit 3, the previously lively chatter inside immediately subsided and quickly fell silent.

Cheng Ye let out a breath and leaned back against the wall.

Perhaps he had gradually adapted to the wilderness environment, and the "danger" he had sensed with his sixth sense, though still enveloping him like a tide, no longer gave him the same suffocating feeling as before.

It shouldn't be long before he gets used to this tense state after spending a few more nights in the wilderness.

Moreover, with the flames serving as a warning, standing here is actually safer than sleeping inside the residential unit.

Even if an infected person attacks him, he can react immediately and launch a counterattack.

"Better to be a dog in times of peace than a human in times of chaos!"

"Being a prosecutor is not easy; getting a good night's sleep is a luxury."

Cheng Ye couldn't help but shake his head, then quickly closed his eyes and began to doze off, with faint snoring sounds filling the air.

just.

What he didn't know was that, hundreds of meters away, the residents of the red zone were far from peaceful as he had imagined.

It's not even as comfortable as he is resting here now.

Abandoned grain silo.

Since there were no flat sites like parking lots in the East District suitable for building residential units, Rococo thought it over and over again. Instead of hastily ordering the search for a place to build units on the first day, he first had everyone gather to clear the surrounding ruins and thoroughly expand the area of ​​reclaiming.

In this way, if a cleaning-related assessment task is drawn tomorrow, the red zone will be able to "sharpen its axe before chopping wood," as it will not only gain a perfect place to build residential units but also gain an advantage in the task.

Moreover, compared to the ruins everywhere in the Blue Zone, where even the supermarkets that barely provide shelter from the wind and rain are dilapidated, the abandoned grain warehouses are sturdy, safe, and have more than enough space.

The vast underground area alone is enough for 500 people to lie down and rest, and with the grain warehouse above ground, there's no problem getting through the night.

However, his considerations as a prosecutor on three separate occasions ultimately fell into the common trap of most empiricists.

All plans were arranged based on the "most idealized scenario" constructed in their minds. They didn't inherit the experience of the inspectors during the Great Pioneer Era, nor did they even truly put themselves in the shoes of the displaced people.

The underground space does look sturdy enough to withstand attacks from thornbirds and guard the entrance to prevent attacks from infected sources and infected individuals, but the disadvantages are equally obvious.

The entire underground space has only one entrance and exit, which serves both as an escape route and a means of air circulation.

Those assigned beds near the entrance and exit can breathe relatively clean air, but they are always on edge, fearing that infected people might rush down from the entrance, and always feeling that danger might rush in at any moment.

Those assigned to inner beds, while not having to live in fear, experienced terribly stuffy air, with constant coughing echoing throughout the underground space.

Not to mention, on the inner brick wall, there are still some hideous characters carved out with fingernails.

During the day, when people are hiding from thornbird attacks, no one pays attention to these things. But at night, when the dim yellow light shines into the underground space, the crooked handwriting looks particularly eerie, making people feel uneasy.

As for the overall environment, although it is dry and not humid, the lack of windows creates a sense of oppression.

With the crowds dense, people farting, burping, and needing to get up to use the restroom frequently, a series of incoherent noises would be followed by a pungent stench that would immediately spark a chorus of curses, making the atmosphere in the underground space even worse.

"Prosecutor Luo, it seems the residents down below have some complaints."

After surveying the underground space, Garcia couldn't help but sniffle when he returned to the surface.

He didn't know the current situation in the Blue Zone, but the Red Zone's situation was clearly getting worse.

"Hang in there, we have to get through tonight no matter what."

Rococo shook his head, holding his rifle, his gaze lingering on Garcia's face for a moment, when suddenly a strong sense of powerlessness washed over him.

It's a bit like myself seven years ago when I had just been promoted from the first to the second phase, full of joy and eager to climb higher.

But after learning the harsh truth that the number of spots for the third phase and above was fixed, and that for every person who got in, someone else had to be eliminated, I still remember clearly the feeling of helplessness and uncertainty about the future.

After so many years, he thought this feeling would never come again.

But at this moment, that familiar feeling of despair gripped him again!
"How about I take the night watch and lead the patrol, and you go and rest for a while?" Garcia suggested when he noticed that Garcia's expression was off.

“No, let’s stay here together.” Rokuk said, then quickly added, “It’s not that I don’t trust you, it’s just that we’re both just ordinary embryonic beings. We can handle common infected creatures at the checkpoint, but in this wilderness…”

The rest of the sentence was left unsaid, but the meaning couldn't be clearer.

Garcia remained silent for a minute or two before returning to the previous topic, his voice slightly dazed: "Inspector Luo, just three months ago, I knew clearly that his strength was that of an ordinary person. I could have crushed him with one hand."

He paused, his tone even more bewildered, "I don't know what exactly happened in between. It's like when I went to the hospital for a while and came back, everything had changed."

"That's what genius is."

Rococo naturally understood what he meant. “Never be surprised by the speed at which geniuses grow, and never use the old standards to measure their potential. They are born with an aura and a crown of wisdom. In the old days, this gap was not obvious; but in this extraordinary age, the chasm between them and us has long been laid bare.”

He sighed and continued, "In order to climb to the third phase, I've spent almost ten months of each year traveling around in recent years, and I've been to almost all the surrounding sheltered cities. Well, let me tell you one you know, Guanghong Sheltered City in Guangdong Province."

“I went there the fall before last, hoping to try my luck and see if I could trade some ‘super-energy-concentrating plywood’ from Guanghong. When I first arrived, the inspectors at Guanghong didn’t seem particularly special, not even as good as you. Well, I mean, not as good as the average person at our checkpoint.”

Rocco almost let slip the secret and quickly corrected himself, only to find that Garcia didn't react at all.

Are you completely convinced?

Or have they finally recognized the limits of their own abilities?

He didn't think much of it and continued, "But the next morning, I went to visit their research institute. Do you know what I saw?"

"Fifteen years old, yes, only fifteen years old!"

"Guanghong's research institute has a total of eighteen research groups. Each group receives an annual grant equivalent to 500,000 contribution points in our Happiness City. That's an astonishing number! And that fifteen-year-old kid is actually the leader of one of the groups, leading nearly two hundred people in research."

"What?" Garcia froze, his eyes glazed over for a few seconds, then he asked incredulously, "Could this be a ruse? A prank to bluff us?"

"Do you think I haven't had my doubts? How could a child who isn't even an adult become the team leader of the Super Sanctuary City Research Institute? If that's true, what terrifying talent must he have?"

Rococo shook his head with a wry smile, "So I deliberately found an opportunity to go over and test it out. It's kind of funny, but it seems like they were just putting on a show for me. They didn't stop me at all, and even let me ask whatever I wanted, making me feel like a country bumpkin who's never been to the city before."

Rocoq pursed his lips, his voice dry, "But the truth is, what we strive with all our might, what we spend a lifetime learning, these geniuses might only need a few months, less than a year."

"That child only started learning about related knowledge at the age of five, and by the age of seven, he had reached the same level as a researcher at the research institute; in just a few years after that, his research results earned Guanghong Shelter City millions of contribution points. Do you know what that means?"

"Millions?" Garcia was completely stunned, his eyes wide with disbelief. "What is he researching?"

He's been working at the checkpoint for seven years now, and all his assets combined are less than 10,000 contribution points, so he has to be stingy and try to squeeze out extra fuel during routine checks.

How could a teenager bring in millions of dollars in revenue for Super Sanctuary?

If he had that ability, he could easily advance to the fourth stage, let alone the third stage.

"Ha, you might not believe it if I told you, and of course, I still don't believe it to this day."

Rokuk sighed softly, lowering his voice even further, "The core of the Rainbow City, which had trapped the Rainbow City for nearly twenty years, was the super technology they were researching, and it was actually solved by a fifteen-year-old child."

"Of course, he only solved one key link, but this breakthrough directly propelled the technological development of the Rainbow City forward by a huge step, a very important step!"

At this point, there's really no need to say anything more.

Seeing Garcia's completely stunned expression, Rocco could guess what he was thinking.

He is neither a genius from the City of Light and Rainbow, nor does he benefit from the terrifying gains after breaking through the core of Light and Rainbow.

"It's a pity that some ordinary researchers in this institute have dedicated themselves to their work for more than ten years without achieving any notable results, but suddenly a minor comes along and says that he is going to break through the core problem of the Light Rainbow that has trapped the entire Shelter City for twenty years, and in just one year he has made unbelievable achievements. How does that feel?"

Rokuk paused, his gaze fixed on the dark, desolate wilderness in the distance, as if asking Garcia, or perhaps asking himself: "How ridiculous! When such a genius appears beside you, he may not understand what solving the core of the rainbow truly represents, he can carefree do what he loves, but you cannot be ignorant, you cannot be clueless!"

　P.S.: My cold has gotten worse; I've been dizzy all day and didn't get up until tonight. I've run out of drafts, but I'll try to update consistently throughout the day and try not to take any days off. I'll update more when I feel better.
　　
　
(End of this chapter)